Ep 690 (25 Jan 1991)
Synopsis pays a last visit to his old school]] It's the morning after Donald and Patricia's picnic. Things are still frosty between him and Bobby and he doesn't react well to her suggestion that he ask Patricia out for a meal. Over at the Fletchers, it's Steven's second last day so he's packing. He leaves to go somewhere. Bobby arrives with Carly's last pay cheque from the diner and hangs around to chat to Pippa. Pippa admits to her that it's going to be very hard to get used to him not being around. Steven has been a part of the family for four years. Outside, Ben tries to milk Mrs McGinty. Unsuccessfully. He has never milked a goat before but thought it looked easy when he saw it on television. Steven has snuck into the school by the mysterious secret way. Sitting in an empty classroom, he hears voices from his past - Dodge, Andrew Foley and Grant Mitchell being some of them. His reverie is interrupted by Donald who has come into the school to finish the roster. They start to talk and about growing up and moving on. Steven notes that the school used to be an important part of his life but now he feels he doesn't belong there. Bobby asks Pippa why does she foster kids? To take in youngsters like herself and be given a hard time. Then at the end they move away. Pippa says that's the deal and that she has never regretted fostering any of the kids. Outside in the corridor, Steven admits to Donald that he was the person who let a possum loose in his office a few years before that. Donald says he had always known it was Steven but never did anything about it. He didn't have proof and he felt Steven would own up. He just didn't think it'd take so long. Steven thanks him for everything and they shake hands. Bobby is back home and has with her a family photo from Pippa. There's also a piece of paper that was attached to the back of the photo. With it in her hand, she makes a phone call. She's interrupted almost straight away by Donald coming home. They chat about Steven and what a fine young man he has become. And how he and Pippa are lucky they found each other. In the diner, Ben asks Alf if he sells any magazines about farming. He'd like to know more about it. He now has chickens and goats and wouldn't mind getting pigs next. Back home, it turns out that Pippa is the only person who knows how to milk a goat. She and Sally go outside and milk Mrs McGinty. Pippa's eyes gleam - she has an idea... Bobby seems to have a bad case of the glums. She's due back to work in the morning and asks Ailsa if this is her future. Eating, sleeping and feeding the starving masses. There should be more to life. At breakfast, it's Steven's last meal with the family but Sally is making a fuss over Ben. She puts cereal into his bowl and encourages him to start eating. As soon as he puts a spoonful of the cereal into his mouth, he pulls a face and asks has the milk gone off. That's when he's told that he has just poured goat's milk onto his breakfast cereal. He tries to pass it off as different milk and that goat's milk is perfectly fine. Bobby has got around to making the mysterious phone call she'd attempted the day before. She invites Donald to breakfast in the diner with her and Ailsa because she has a surprise for them. Steven's almost ready to leave. Pippa hands him a bank book for a bank account he had known nothing about. There is $915 in the account. Ever since Steven had come to live with the Fletchers, Pippa has been putting $5 per week into this account. It was Tom's idea and he had wanted him to have money when he was starting out. Soon, Steven gets onto the bus that'll take him on to the city. Carly, Sally and Pippa say their goodbyes to him. In the diner, Bobby makes her big announcement to Donald, Alf and Ailsa.She has decided to become a foster mum. She phoned the people at the department and they'd like to talk to her. They are all horrified. Cast Main cast *Bobby Simpson - Nicolle Dickson *Donald Fisher - Norman Coburn *Steven Matheson - Adam Willits *Sally Fletcher - Kate Ritchie *Ben Lucini - Julian McMahon *Carly Lucini - Sharyn Hodgson *Pippa Fletcher - Debra Lawrance *Alf Stewart - Ray Meagher *Ailsa Stewart - Judy Nunn Guest cast *None Writer - Kit Oldfield Director - Michael Offer Series Producer - Andrew Howie Exec Producer - Des Monaghan Prev Ep Ep 689 (24 Jan 1991) Next Ep Ep 691 (28 Jan 1991) Notes Last appearance of Steven Matheson until Ep 1738 (19 Jul 1995). Category:1991 episodes.